


Demons

by Strawberrywaltz



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Bromance, Emotional Bruce, Emotional Tony, Friendship, Gen, Power Switch, Prompt Fill, Whumpage for all, hurt!Clint, hurt!Tony, hurt!bruce
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-07
Updated: 2013-12-30
Packaged: 2018-01-03 22:41:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1073895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberrywaltz/pseuds/Strawberrywaltz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taken by people unknown Bruce struggles to figure out what is happening before someone ends up dead. Tony, Clint and Bruce whumpage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It was silent.

Bruce opened his eyes with confusion as he tried to figure out exactly why it was so quiet. For Bruce life was never without noise – it was an all out battle of wills and a never-ending shouting match between him and the…Other Guy. There wasn’t a second of the waking day that Bruce didn’t have to fight to stay in complete control of his own body – the Other Guy was persistent if nothing else. 

Now, however, Bruce’s mind was as silent as the grave and it felt hollow and wrong. 

Without the Hulk screaming on the edge of his consciousness Bruce sat up and looked around his current surroundings. A concrete cage greeted his eyes. It wasn’t a promising sight. There was one door – no windows and four grey walls. 

The only anomaly the otherwise plain room had was what appeared to be a TV screen embedded in the wall that stood opposite of the door. The screen was dark and Bruce couldn’t see any wires or an on or off switch – at least none that he could get at. There was a thick pane of glass in front of it – probably bullet proof, but Bruce had no way to test the theory. And even if Banner had Tony’s mechanical skills he would never be able to get to the heart of the machine…not that it would help him escape anyway. 

If Tony were there and could get into the computer/television Bruce had no doubt that he’d figure out how to communicate with the others. They’d be free within the hour.

But Tony wasn’t there – Bruce was alone.

Who had dared to stick him in a cell and where the hell was the Hulk? By now Bruce thought he’d be free – the Other Guy didn’t like being caged, it was about the only point of agreement Bruce had with the beast. 

Panic surged within Bruce as he started to realize the situation. He was taken by unknown friends or foes and had no idea what was going on with the Hulk. The silence mocked him as he stood and paced the space as he tried to think things through. 

Who had him? Was it General Ross? Had that mad man finally gotten ahold of him and ripped the Hulk from his head? If that were the case – how was he still alive? And Why? The General had always wanted to dissect him like a science project – if Ross did have him Bruce was sure he should be dead, but he wasn’t. So maybe it wasn’t Ross.

The other possible culprit that sprung to mind was SHIELD. Had Fury finally realized how dangerous it was to have a pet rage monster and devised a plan to exorcised the demon from Bruce’s mind? 

It hit Bruce like a ton of brinks and he sunk back down to his knees in the middle of the room – the Hulk, for whatever reason, was gone. 

Gone. 

Was it permanent? Did Bruce dare to dream that he might actually be free of his nightmare? 

Banner slowly raised a shaky hand to cover his mouth, brokenly as he dipped forward to curl into himself. There had been a time when he had first been infected by the Gamma radiation that he believed he’d eventually be free of the Other Guy. He dreamed of freedom until it became painfully obvious that freedom would never granted to him. 

Bruce hadn’t believed he’d ever find salvation – yet here it was. 

A sob broke out behind Bruce’s trembling hand and he stopped caring about who had him. Whoever left him in this cold cell had done something for him that he hadn’t been able to do for himself. 

He was free. 

Hot tears sprung to Bruce’s pure brown eyes as he let his emotions take over him. He let go of all the ‘control’ he’d been forced to learn because of the Other Guy. The Hulk. Bruce let go and cried like a man who had lost everything only to be granted a second chance. 

Bruce had a second shot at a normal life. He was no longer a monster – no longer a danger to everyone around him and everyone he cared about. 

Laughter was added to the hysterical wet sobs of relief. Anyone watching the transformation would probably wonder if Bruce had finally lost his mind. 

Ironically he had just gotten it back. 

Face damp from tears Bruce tipped his head back and looked up at the non-descript ceiling. He wondered briefly where he was once again, but figured it didn’t matter. SHIELD or not the Avengers would come for him. 

Steve was protective over his team of misfits and Tony and Clint were loyal to a fault. Natasha wouldn’t allow Clint to go anywhere dangerous without her by his side – not after the whole Loki incident. They’d come for him. They protected their family.

Bruce moved to lean against the wall, still on the ground – there was no reason to get up. He thought back to before he lost consciousness and ended up here in an attempt to fill some missing pieces. 

-

_Bruce and Tony had been in the lab most of the night working on this and that and Bruce was tired. Tired of being in the Tower, tired of working on meaningless thing that interested Tony more than himself. Bruce wasn’t as interested in engineering as Tony was, even though Tony didn’t seem to notice or care. Stark would talk for hours about possible designs and projects – he didn’t always need an audience._

_It was boring._

_Not always, sometimes things blew up, which was always entertaining. Entertaining enough that Clint joined them on occasion. Despite Barton’s lack of traditional education he picked up on things quickly and seemed to enjoy working with his hands. It was a bit surprising to Bruce how smart Clint actually was, but than again it was Barton’s tactical mind that almost destroyed the helicarrier – not Loki’s. Clint seemed to prefer it when others underestimated his intelligence. It gave him the upper hand._

_Still, for once Bruce wanted to do something that revolved around his field of study so when he received an email inviting him to a conference hosted by one of his former peers Bruce announced that he was going._

_Tony offered his limo and when the day came crawled into the back with Bruce._

_“Tony, you realize this is a Theoretical Physics conference, right?” Bruce asked with the corner of his lips turned up in a shy smile. “Doctor Rockwell is going to be talking about dark matter and black holes.”_

_“Bruce, it’s in Vegas.” Tony announced and slipped on a very dark pair of sunglasses despite the already tinted windows. “We’ll party afterwards.”_

_Bruce chuckled darkly in response and shook his head slowly. “I doubt the…Other Guy, could put up with such excitement.”_

_Tony pouted and pushed the sunglasses down on his nose so Bruce could see his eyes. “You my friend need to have some fun. It’s all seriousness with you – lose some control for once in your life. Don’t be a constant downer.”_

_“I lose control and people get hurt.” Bruce shook his head, suddenly regretting accepting the invitation. So much for some good old fashion ‘me’ time. “Tony – ”_

_“Yeah, yeah.” Tony sighed dramatically and slid his sunglasses back into place. “I know – forever buried in angst. A day in the life of Bruce Banner.”_

_Bruce knew that Tony would never understand what it was like to have a burden like the Hulk weigh down on him – no one would ever know. For that Bruce was glad, he would never wish the…Other Guy on anyone. Not even General Ross._

_They drove to the airport and took Tony’s private jet the rest of the way to Vegas. Tony talked animatedly about what he hoped they’d do outside the conference and Bruce had pretty much given up the fight against the other man’s enthusiasm._

_When they had finally arrived in Vegas a limo picked them up – that’s when things got fuzzy and finally Bruce’s memory faded into darkness. ___

They must have been drugged – they, Tony had been with him. If that were the case – where was Tony? The panic returned with a vengeance and once again Bruce was relieved to be rid of his other half – yet if the Hulk were present he’d be freed of his prison. 

Briefly – very briefly – Bruce wished the Hulk was there with him. If Tony was trapped somewhere nearby Bruce had no way to save him – or himself. Suddenly Bruce wished he’d listened to Clint when the man offered to teach him a few tricks when it came to survival in situations like this. Bruce had declined since he was sure he’d always have the Hulk watching his back – whether he wanted the beast to or not. 

Bruce let the panic over whelmed him as he moved to the door and jiggled the locked knob. There was no keyhole – not that there was anything to pick a lock with in his current cage. 

Behind him the television turned on with a click that signaled Bruce to turn around. The screen came to life and Bruce didn’t quite understand what he was looking at – not until the man on the bed started to scream. 


	2. Chapter 2

Bruce couldn’t tear his eyes from the screen. 

Tony lay strapped down on a hard metal table – his muscles bulged and flexed from green to his normal skin tone. And he screamed. Bruce knew how painful the transformation of the Hulk was and to be stuck mid transition – Bruce had been there before too – just not for this long. It hurt like fucking hell. It was enough to drive someone mad and the checked out expression on Tony’s face made Bruce worry that he was already half way there.

Helplessly Bruce stared at the screen, unable to do a damned thing to help his friend. He couldn’t even offer words of comfort since there were only speakers on his side of the horror show. 

It took Bruce a minute to realize what must have happened. The Hulk was gone from his own mind – somehow someone had transferred the Hulk to Tony. 

Although Tony’s eyes were closed Bruce could imagine them switching from natural brown to raging green just like his body just like his body switching from Hulk to human. 

“God.” Bruce breathed as he flinched at his friend’s raw screams. He’d never heard Tony make such a noise before – hell, Bruce wasn’t sure he’d ever heard a human make such a noise. 

“Stop.” Bruce yelled finally and turned to collide with the door. He banged on the thick metal and begged whoever might be nearby to listen to him. “Leave him alone! Please!” 

For reasons beyond his own understanding Bruce thought this had to be his fault. The Hulk was his responsibility and no one else was supposed to feel the same pain he had – least of all one of his best friends. No matter what he yelled or how long he begged no one seemed to care. 

Even when Tony lost consciousness he moaned in his sleep – at least when he was out the Hulk seemed to quiet down. From his own experience Bruce understood what was happening. Tony didn’t have the control Bruce had gained. The drugs pumping into Tony’s arm weren’t as strong as what SHIELD had come up with. 

SHIELD had the ability to knock Hulk out cold. 

Whatever these people had created only seemed to calm the Hulk when his host was calm – something Tony was clearly not. 

The television switched off six hours later. The silence that moved in to fill the void was hollow without the screams. 

Bruce found himself huddled in the corner with his hands still clamped over his ears when the door swung open. He didn’t care who the person was – Bruce sprung forward and attacked. Banner managed to punch the surprised man across the face before he had a chance to look in Bruce’s corner. 

“Damn it, Banner!” Clint cursed as he caught Bruce’s second fist and deflected a third attempt by the first fist. 

Bruce stilled and stared at the archer in complete shock that slowly morphed into relief. The others were here – they could help Tony. A sob of relief broke from his lips as he threw himself at Clint again – this time to embrace the assassin with a hug. 

“Okay, this is more like it,” Clint spoke slowly, not moving to reciprocate the hug. “But kind of awkward, uh, Bruce? Less hugging and more talking – where’s Tony?” 

Bruce pulled back and stared at Barton opened mouthed. “You – you don’t know yet?” 

“No, I was supposed to meet you two at the hotel.” Clint started and sighed, “It took me a while, but I realized something was wrong when you two didn’t show up and I called it into SHIELD. Someone sent a video with the whole ‘evil’ monolog. Normal stuff, we tracked it to three possible source locations – this was the closest to Vegas, so I was sent here.” 

“You’re alone?” Bruce breathed. 

“Calm down.” Clint reminded, not aware that there was no danger of the Hulk – at least not with Bruce. Not anymore. “So are you, I haven’t run into anyone since I broke through the front door.” 

Bruce felt his heart jolt to a stop and spring forward at a crazy pace inside his chest. Normally he’d be worried about the stress, but the Hulk wasn’t his problem at the moment. “What? But Tony – he’s not here? We have to find him!” 

Clint looked back into Bruce’s eyes and nodded once. “I haven’t checked all the rooms. Let’s not panic until we check them all.” 

Slowly Bruce nodded, although he didn’t feel any better, not until they found Tony. He just hoped Tony was somewhere in the building. 

“Hey, Steve and Natasha are checking the other locations with a hand full of SHIELD agents each – we’ll find him.” Clint reassured and gave a gentle squeeze to Bruce’s shoulder. 

“Okay.” Bruce sighed his agreement, but paused. “Where is your team?” 

“Team? Oh, I didn’t want to wait for back up.” Clint shrugged his shoulder. “They were a few hours out – I wasn’t willing to wait that long.” 

“How long have we been missing?” Bruce asked, his chest tightening. 

Clint hesitated, “Two days. I stayed in Vegas to try and track you two down on the ground.” 

Bruce was surprised to see how guilty Clint looked – none of this was his fault. 

“Thank you.” Bruce breathed, he felt slightly guilty for wishing Clint had figured things out sooner. “For finding us.”

Bruce watched as Clint turned back to the door and readjusted the grip on his bow and the strap of his quiver. He checked the hallway before turning back to Bruce – Clint handed him a loaded gun. 

“Stay behind me,” Clint tossed over his shoulder and the two carefully made their way down the hallway. “I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t shoot me – Natasha says I have more holes than Swiss cheese.” 

Once before Bruce’s eyes had witnessed Clint’s scarred body in all its horrific glory – Natasha had a point. “I think I have to agree with her.” 

Clint sent a smirk over his shoulder and they moved down the hall. They checked room after room until they reached a set of double doors that looked ominous to Bruce. 

“On three?” Bruce questioned as Clint shifted to take down the door. 

“I don’t count.” Clint told him and slammed his foot into the center of the double doors. 

Bruce and Clint moved into the now opened room and stopped dead in their tracks. Tony lay in front of them, moaning and shifting in pain – like he was attempting to find a position that didn’t bring him pure agony. Stark flinched and his muscles bulged green before they shrunk back to normal human size. 

“The hell?” Clint asked the room with a curse and stepped forward to get a better look at Tony. Bruce looked away – he couldn’t stand the sight of Tony in so much pain. Pain that he himself should be in. 

“Bruce?” Clint asked, but Banner refused to look at the archer. 

“I don’t know,” Bruce whispered. “I woke up and the Hulk was quiet – gone. They – somebody showed me Tony on the screen in my…room. I don’t know what happened.” 

Finally Bruce looked back at Clint who had placed himself right next to Tony on the bed. Tony stared up at the archer with wide green eyes. 

“Please.” Tony whispered before he glanced at the IV still inserted in the back of his hand. The IV was taped down securely and Bruce was sure that it was the cause of Tony’s current state of limbo.

“We need to get that out of him.” Bruce announced and stalked forward to release Tony from the drug. 

“Wait – ” Clint held a hand in front of Bruce’s chest. “Just, let’s think about this for a minute.” 

Bruce’s anger raged up and he batted Clint’s hand away. “Look at him – we need to get him free. Are you blind? He’s in agony.” Bruce pointed at Tony who screamed as his whole body tried to go green only to shrink back down. 

“Bruce,” Clint shook his head stubbornly. “We need to try and calm him down first.” 

“We don’t have time for that.” Bruce shot back with a glare. The subject they were discussing was too painfully personal to Bruce. If things were normal he’d be the one on the table screaming their lungs out. For Bruce this was all raw emotion – black and white. They needed to free Tony because Tony didn’t deserve what was happening. “He’s in too much pain – he’s been in pain for far too long. I won’t let this continue.” 

“We need to calm him down so he doesn’t kill us.” Something changed in Clint’s eyes – Bruce had seen it before. It was like a flip had switched in the archer’s head – Clint was no longer a friend and teammate, but a SHIELD agent on a mission. Emotionless, calculated and focused on the task at hand. Bruce knew he wouldn’t budge now, no matter what was going on around him.

“Heartless bastard.” Bruce cursed under his breath and paced a step away before he returned to Tony’s side. Bruce was very aware of Clint’s eyes on him and his hands as they started to talk to Tony. The agent was gone now and Bruce could see Barton hated how much pain Tony was in as well. 

Bruce almost regretted his cold comment, but he didn’t waste time with apologies. 

“Stark, you need to breathe – alright?” Clint spoke low and gentle to the frightened man on the table. Bruce was surprised when he saw the archer softly run his fingers through Tony’s hair soothingly. “We’re going to help you, but we need to make sure the Hulk is under control – okay?” 

Slowly Tony nodded, a whimper accompanying the movement of his head. 

“Breathe with me, alright?” Clint coached softly as he continued petting Tony’s head – already Bruce was seeing less green mixed in with Tony’s skin. “In,” Clint inhaled. “Out,” He exhaled. 

Bruce held Tony’s wrist as he watched Barton calm the billionaire down. It felt like forever but finally Tony appeared calm. The Hulk no longer fought to burst forth and take over Stark’s mind and body. 

Carefully Bruce looked at Clint for permission to release Stark from the IV. Clint nodded to Bruce and quietly explained to Tony what they were doing so he wouldn’t be surprised. Stark nodded, completely focused on Clint’s strangely Zen tone – Bruce wondered silently if that was one of the reasons Hulk liked Clint so much. 

“You’re going to feel a little pinch – " Bruce told Tony as Clint started to undo the straps belted over Stark’s body. 

When Tony was completely free Bruce noticed his breathing started to sound off. “Clint – " Bruce warned, but it was too late. One minute Tony looked up with panicked green eyes – the next second Hulk roared in his place and promptly smashed the table had Tony had been strapped to. 

Bruce jumped back and Clint moved forward – hands up and voice soothing. This time Clint’s Zen voice had no effect on the furious Hulk. Bruce watched in horror as Hulk swung his fist into Clint’s chest and sent the archer back into the wall. The secondary impact looked almost as painful as the first and Clint’s body crumpled to the ground. 

Bruce stared at the motionless archer for a second more before he flinched away from the next hit. Banner was sure he’d join Clint on the floor soon. Bruce’s eyes were clenched closed as he waited for the impact of Hulk’s huge fist on his vulnerable body. 

He’d never been on this side of the Hulk. His nightmare was being the one causing the damage and hurting people. As the Hulk he had a safety net. He had been invincible. Bruce had forgotten how it felt to be completely human – to fear death. 

A roar deafened Bruce and his body trembled in pure terror – positive that he was about to die by his own creation. It was a bit ironic, Bruce breathed – to die a victim of the Hulk. 

Bruce stood, eyes forever closed as he waited for his end.


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce stood, eyes forever closed as he waited for his end. 

The hit never came. 

Hulk exhaled and the gust of wind smacked Bruce in the face. With fear Banner opened his eyes wide. In front of him stood the face of the Hulk. He’d only ever seen pictures of his counterpart before and they didn’t do the beast’s size any justice. 

The Hulk looked…confused – and angry. 

The green giant stood hunched over and glared at Banner with furious and curious eyes. Bruce looked the Hulk over and noticed subtle differences from the pictures he’d been shown. This hulk lacked his gray hairs and his broad green chest bore Tony’s scar – the only thing that remained of his arch reactor. 

“You.” Hulk poked a large finger into Bruce’s chest. “Hulk.” 

It seemed to be some sort of accusation. 

Bruce blinked as he realized what the monster was trying to convey. Hulk was aware that Bruce had been his original host. 

“Yes.” Bruce managed to sound a whole lot braver than he felt. “I – you are me. Were, you were me.” He corrected firmly.

The confusion on Hulk’s broad face twisted into pure rage in slow motion for Bruce. The beast turned, grabbed what remained of the medical table Tony had been strapped to and slammed it once against the floor before he tossed it across the room. The twisted metal landed inches from where Clint lay – still sprawled motionless, face down on the ground. 

Bruce wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen Clint stay down for so long. Even when the archer was severely injured he seemed to bounce back and pretend a gash was a scratch until the battle was finished and his friends were safe. Granted most of the time Bruce was the Hulk and he had no idea what happened during battles – he only saw the aftermath and useless flashes of green violence. 

At the moment Bruce wasn’t even sure Clint was even still alive. The thought crushed Bruce’s heart as he glanced at the Hulk. The beast’s eyes were fixed on the crumpled form of the archer filled with what Bruce could only describe as regret. 

The team, Clint and Tony specifically had tried to convince Bruce that Hulk felt more than simple, childish anger. They told him that they had witnessed Hulk being protective over them and fragile civilians – Bruce just didn’t believe them. Now he was witnessing it first hand. 

The regret quickly morphed into anger and Hulk turned to punch a wall before he stalked towards Clint. 

Without really thinking things through, Bruce put himself between Clint and the possible danger. Even with Banner blocking his view Hulk didn’t take his eyes off of Clint. 

“Hulk, did?” The green giant asked after a sharp cry – his emerald eyes moved to look at Bruce in despair. 

Bruce’s jaw dropped open as he considered how the hell he was supposed to respond. This whole thing was like a twisted out of body experience. Bruce wasn’t sure what to say. Yes? That answer would more than likely get the room, and it’s occupants, destroyed. 

Everything was so flipped – warped. He wasn’t the Hulk – Tony was. He wasn’t talking to himself; he was talking to the Hulk – who was in someone else. It was enough to make anyone second-guess their sanity and Bruce was doing plenty of that at the moment.

“Feather not move.” Hulk spoke again with a wave of his curled, gigantic hand in the direction of Clint. 

A few times the other Avengers informed Bruce that Hulk had given them nicknames – he’d never thought much of it. Steve was Star probably because of his uniform and shield. Nat he called Red logically because of her hair. Tony had been given the nickname Catch because of the whole falling-out-of-a-wormhole thing. Thor was Boom, more than likely because of the thunder that followed the God around. Clint was Birdie – not Feather or Feathers. 

Feathers was Tony’s nickname for Clint – well, his nicer one.

If Hulk was using Tony’s nickname for Clint did that mean their minds were melding together? At the same time Hulk still recognized Bruce and knew that they had shared a mind previously – what did this all mean? Bruce was officially lost. 

Clint still hadn’t moved or made any sort of sound and Bruce’s intense worry nullified his fear of the Hulk. Bruce took his eyes off the beast to move to the archer’s side. A sharp whimper from the Hulk nearly made Banner jump out of his skin – his eyes turned back to the beast in fear. 

“Help Birdie?” Hulk pleaded. 

Pleaded. 

Bruce swallowed thickly and nodded, unsure of how to react to the startling revelation – Hulk wasn’t just a bloodthirsty animal. 

Hulk shifted where he stood, almost dancing with pent up energy that Bruce recognized as Tony’s. It was such a Tony thing to do that Bruce had to tear his eyes off of the green beast to focus on Clint. 

Now that he was close to the fallen man Bruce could see that the archer was alive but seriously injured. Bruce forced himself to breathe normally as he knelt by Clint and checked his pulse. It was irregular but Bruce was grateful it still existed. 

Bruce was too afraid to move Clint who laid face down where he’d fallen. Hulk’s fist had hit him square on the chest. The initial impact of the fist had been brutal, but it was the stopping impact of the wall that terrified Bruce. 

It was possible that Clint’s insides were complete mush – shattered from the force of the impacts. In the very least Clint’s ribs were probably crushed, broken or badly bruised. 

On the back of Clint’s head Bruce found a nice sized bump from when Clint’s head cracked back against the wall. It had a decent sized gash that bleed, wetting the back of Clint’s head and neck with crimson. 

Bruce hoped Clint’s skull wasn’t cracked and that his concussion wasn’t too severe – he also knew the odds weren’t in their favor. 

Actively Bruce ignored the biggest and most devastating possible injury – Clint’s spine. The impact had been severe enough that Clint’s spine could have been snapped clean or in the very least severely damage. 

“Clint?” Bruce breathed out – devastated. The last words he’d spoken to his friend were built from frustrated anger – Bruce just hoped they wouldn’t be the last thing Clint heard before he…well, Bruce didn’t really want to go there. Not yet anyway. 

Gently Bruce felt down the archer’s back, but the muscles were already to swollen to really feel if there were a break or fracture on the spine. From the back Bruce did feel a few ribs give and shift under his touch and Bruce shook his head in despair. He had no way to treat Clint and honestly he wasn’t really qualified for damage this severe. 

Unable to examine Clint properly without turning him over, Bruce looked up at Hulk who still danced with pent up energy – green eyes still shifted between looking at Bruce and Clint. 

They needed help – Clint would have a phone with him, or some sort of way to communicate with the others. Bruce’s fingers trembled as they began to search through Clint’s pockets for some sort of device. He found Clint’s phone and his heart broke all over again – it was completely destroyed. Probably crushed during the second impact. 

“Hulk,” Bruce called wearily – the word sounded wrong coming off of his tongue. “I need to speak with Tony.” 

Hulk snorted loudly and fisted the ground hard enough that it shook under Bruce and Clint and cracked under the impact. “Catch coward. Hides more than Banner.” 

Bruce narrowed his eyes slightly – he was pretty sure he should be insulted, but there wasn’t time for that. “I need him, to help Clint. Feathers. Birdie. I need Tony to help Clint.” Bruce pleaded. He also needed to get as far away from the Hulk as possible. He needed to wake up and find this was all a dream. All of it. The Gamma exposure, the hulk – everything that had happened to him since had been a nightmare. Well, not his friendships, but they were on their way to being destroyed as well.

“Please.” Bruce begged. He didn’t want to be alone anymore. He knew he was being selfish and that Tony must be terrified and in severe pain. Bruce knew from experience that it was so much easier to give in and hide – but Bruce needed Tony to help him with Clint, not Hulk. 

Hulk’s eyes rolled in annoyance, but he shrunk back down to human size obediently. Tony stood only for a moment before he toppled over, pale and naked on the ground. Silently Bruce stood to grab an abandoned lab coat for Tony. Carefully he laid it over Stark as the man watched tiredly from the ground. 

“Tony?” Bruce asked worriedly as Tony started to shake harder. He was crying Bruce realized after further observation. “It’s going to be okay.” Bruce told his friend, trying to mimic the Zen like tone Clint had used. 

“No.” Tony sobbed with closed eyes, his face turned into the cold ground. “I can’t do this. It hurts too much. Please, kill me. Anything – please just kill me. Please.” 

Bruce stared at Tony with a mixture of concern, pity and anger. He needed Tony to be strong, to fight so that they could save Clint. Of course he understood the feeling – the need to have it all end. He’d been low before, but he also knew when to fight. 

“Tony, please, you need to listen to me.” Bruce spoke sharply so Tony looked up at him. Banner had to ignore the tears in Tony’s eyes as he continued. “You have to fight and stay in control. I need you to be strong and help me – ”

“I can’t.” Tony stressed with a whine and than whimpered as his muscles contracted and stretched painfully under his green tinged skin. 

“Tony no, please you have to help me!” Bruce grabbed Tony’s shoulders in an attempt to calm him down, but his eyes were already turning green. “Damn it!” Bruce yelled as he flung back to protect Clint as the Hulk replaced Tony.

Bruce looked up as Hulk snorted, as if Tony had proven his point in some way.

“Catch is coward.” Hulk scoffed. 

Feeling completely defeated Bruce sat down next to Clint. He had no idea what to do with an injured unconscious archer and a Hulk. 

Next to him he heard a soft moan and his eyes shot to Clint’s face – his eyes were open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the encouragement! You guys are awesome!


	4. Chapter 4

“Clint?” Bruce asked before his throat choked with emotion. Clint’s blue eyes wandered around the small area he could see, never focused on any particular thing. His pale, blue tinted lips moved without audible words and Bruce’s heart stopped again. 

“Clint, I can’t hear you.” Bruce told him and moved closer to catch whatever Clint was trying to say. 

It wasn’t English, Bruce realized after a minute. He did recognize one word – Natasha. Whispered like a prayer. Clint had to be speaking Russian – Bruce realized as his heart twisted in his chest. 

“Natasha’s not here, Clint. Please speak English? I can’t understand you.” Bruce soothed in his best attempted at a Zen toned voice. Clint didn’t seem to understand and whispered a few more words in Russian before he allowed his eyes to fall shut once more. 

Clint was gone again and Bruce was alone. 

“Feather broke?” Hulk asked. Bruce nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the low gravely voice. He had been so focused on Clint he’d forgotten about the beast. 

Bruce looked up at the Hulk – he seemed eerily calm as his green eyes watched Clint’s still form. 

With a glance down at archer next to him, Bruce couldn’t help but agree that ‘broken’ was an accurate description of Clint’s current state. He nodded, oblivious to the possible repercussions of such an agreement. 

Hulk roared and smashed a fist into the wall he had already hit earlier – the roof looked like it was about to come down on them and Bruce sprung to his feet in panic. 

“Stop!” He cried out but Hulk was already attacking another wall – it cracked under the pressure and some ceiling tiles came loose and fell to the ground. “Hulk, you can help him! You can help!” 

Hulk paused mid swing of his heavy fists and looked back down at Banner and the fallen hawk. “Hulk, help?” He repeated with the slow confusion of a child. 

Slowly Bruce nodded. “Yes, Hulk help.” 

“Help, how?” Hulk asked skeptically. 

Bruce looked down at Clint and back up at Hulk. Banner knew he wasn’t strong enough to get Clint out of here – not alone, but Hulk was strong enough. The only problem was – 

“Hulk, can you be gentle?” Bruce asked quickly, his eyes fixed back on the beast as he watched the Hulk respond to his question. Bruce needed to be sure Hulk wouldn’t hurt Clint further before he went through with his very dangerous plan. 

“Gen – tle?” Hulk repeated the word and his face twisted up in confusion. “What mean?” 

Bruce’s mouth opened to answer but closed when he couldn’t think of how to explain. “Um.” He fumbled and looked down at Clint again – the archer didn’t have time for this. “Soft. Careful – gentle, uh, no smashing!” Bruce looked up at the Hulk and sighed when the beast simply tipped his head in confusion. 

“Here,” Bruce winced one last time at Clint before he left his side and moved across the room. In the corner of the room there was a counter with a few glass beakers and bottles. All were empty of any substances – thank goodness – and they would serve Bruce well on his lesson. 

Bruce picked up one of the more fragile looking beakers and turned back to Hulk who watched him intensely. 

“This is fragile.” Bruce informed the monster. 

“Fra – gle?” Hulk mispronounced the word, but Bruce didn’t really care. The beast gave a growl of frustration that told Bruce he needed to explain. 

“Fragile, like Clint – Birdie.” Bruce nodded to the injured man still motionless on the floor on the other side of the room. 

“Gen-tle?” Hulk asked, obviously confused. 

“I need you to hold Clint gently, like fragile glass.” Bruce said and slowly handed hulk the beaker. 

The Hulk’s massive green hand took the glass beaker, but it shattered when Hulk put too much pressure on it with his fingers. Hulk whimpered and threw the shattered bits of glass at the wall behind Bruce. 

Banner ducked and glanced at Hulk as he let out a roar of anger. 

“Hulk not gentle! Hulk break fragle bird g-ass.” Hulk roared. Under any other circumstance Bruce would have laughed out loud – but this wasn’t in the least funny. To Bruce Hulk sounded more disappointed in himself and frightened than angry, but it might have simply been wishful thinking. 

“Hulk!” Bruce yelped and dodged a flying fist. Hulk stopped his tantrum and huffed sadly as he sat heavily on the ground. 

“Hulk fail.” The green giant dipped his head in shame. 

Bruce swallowed thickly and looked over at Clint again. More than anything Bruce didn’t want to leave Clint behind – but he couldn’t carry the man alone either. The rooms Bruce checked with Clint had no tech in them – there was no way to communicate with the others. 

“We’ll try again.” Bruce announced and moved in front of the Hulk. “You can do this. We just need to practice.” And hurry, Bruce added silently. Clint didn’t have time for them to waste. 

From where they stood Bruce could hear Clint’s breathing getting louder and more strained. 

Hulk tipped his head and than nodded in agreement. The beast stood and held his hand out for Banner to place another glass beaker in his grasp. 

It took several more tries before Hulk managed to hold the glass without breaking it. Bruce got Hulk to carry it around the room twice and Banner did his best not to act as impatient as he felt. Hulk seemed fairly calm and reassured in return – he also seemed confident and focused, which was enough for Bruce to push his plan forward. 

There was no more time to stall – they needed to get Clint out of there. 

“Okay,” Bruce coached as they stood over Clint’s broken body. “Gently, okay? Put out your hands. Flat, like this.” Bruce used his small hands as an example and with a huff of annoyance Hulk mimicked the motion with his much larger hands. 

Bruce looked down at Clint and felt his throat tighten painfully. What they were about to do might injure the man further or it could save his life. Bruce prayed to whatever God might be listening that this saved Clint’s life. 

“Okay, lower them down, right next to his side there.” Bruce directed and gently started to move Clint’s unresponsive body into Hulk’s massive green hands. The fact that Clint didn’t make a single sound of protest as he was moved spoke volumes to the seriousness of his condition. 

“Gentle.” Hulk parroted with extreme concentration as he focused on his small burden. 

“Yes, gentle. Try to keep his body as even as possible, Hulk.” Bruce requested as they slowly lifted up. Bruce noted that Hulk looked confused again but the beast was very careful to keep his hands level as he lifted Clint’s body off the ground. 

Once Bruce was positive that Hulk was being careful he led the way out the door and down the hallway. He went back towards his cell with the hope that the direction would lead them to the exit of the building. 

Every once in a while Bruce would glance back to check on Hulk and Clint. Hulk’s eyes were narrowed and focused on Clint – for now the archer was in safe hands. 

Unfortunately they found themselves terribly lost in the heart of the building and Bruce was nearly about to give up on finding an exit when they finally stumbled across it. Relief flooded through Bruce as he stepped out into fresh air alongside the Hulk. 

After a deep breath Bruce looked around for any indications as to where they were. It appeared they were in the middle of a forest; tall trees encircled the complex they had just exited. Blue skies stretched above them and Hulk lifted his head and took in a deep breath of the fresh air – Bruce watched carefully, if only to make sure the beast didn’t drop Clint carelessly now that they were free. 

Bruce opened his mouth to ask Hulk to set Clint down gently when Hulk sniffed sharply and turned to curl over Clint and Banner. Gunfire erupted and Bruce moved closer to his only shield against the sudden and unexpected hailstorm of bullets. 

Once again Bruce found himself shocked over the Hulk’s reaction. Instead of dropping Clint and storming after those who threatened him, Hulk stood his ground and protected the helpless. 

Over the thunder of gunfire Bruce heard Hulk whimper and felt his thick green muscles flinch in pain as the bullets impacted against his back. Unable to help the beast Bruce looked up into Hulk’s face with sympathy and reached out to lay his hand against the scar on his broad green chest. “It’s okay.” Bruce offered the empty promise to his former counterpart. “You’re okay.” 

Bruce was sure they were all going to die – well, maybe not Hulk. No, not Hulk. The green giant could take blasts stronger than normal gunfire – Bruce and Clint were human though and regretfully not bullet proof. It was only a matter of time before Hulk decided he’d had enough of being shot at and then Bruce and Clint would die. 

The sound of helicopter blades distracted Bruce from his thoughts, but he couldn’t see beyond the protective shield of Hulk’s green body. More gunfire erupted and Bruce heard people start to scream. Voices shouted orders and cried for help and finally it was over. 

“Clint? Tony!” Steve Roger’s voice flooded into Bruce’s ringing ears. 

The Hulk must have heard Steve’s voice as well and realized it was safe once more. Slowly Hulk unfolded and turned to greet ‘Star’ as he jogged towards them, Clint still secure in the beast’s large hands. 

Captain America slid to a stop and stared slack jawed at the sight before him. Bruce watched the man’s blue eyes move from Hulk to his own body and back again. 

“Bruce?” Steve asked – Bruce had never heard Captain America sound so baffled. Steve was the kind of guy who expected the oddest things to happen – everything in this time was odd to him, but this was obviously different. This wasn’t some marvel in technology or an alien being. This was Bruce and Hulk standing together shoulder to shoulder. 

It wasn’t getting any easier trying to explain. “Steve – “ 

The sound of someone choking cut Bruce off and captured his attention. His eyes focused on Hulk first as the beast whimpered loudly. 

“Gentle!” Hulk cried – he appeared to be talking to Clint’s body. “Hulk gentle!” 

Blood dripped from the archer’s mouth as the horrible sound continued.


	5. Chapter 5

“Shit.” Bruce cursed and dashed forward to check Clint over. It didn’t take Bruce long to figure out what was happening – Clint was choking on blood. His lung was pierced, probably by one of his broken ribs. 

“We need to get him back to the Helicarrier.” Bruce shouted to Steve who paled and nodded, still obviously unsure of what had happened and how. 

Bruce’s eyes focused on the Hulk once more and motioned for the green giant to follow him to the helicopter. With the help of two jumpy SHIELD medics they managed to get Clint to safety and strapped down on a medical table. 

The medics swarmed around Clint’s form and Bruce had to tear his eyes away to focus back on Hulk. The beast was too big to fit in the helicopter – even if he could fit he’d be too heavy. 

“Hulk?” Bruce spoke to his former counterpart carefully. “We need Tony, so we can help Clint.” 

Steve watched the exchange from the sidelines and let Banner handle the situation. Bruce felt Cap’s eyes on them as he watched Hulk fade away and transform back into Tony. 

Tiredly Bruce looked at Steve directly. “Steve, I need to get one of the Hulk repressors – he can’t control his emotions.” To emphasis his words Bruce’s eyes slid towards Clint’s broken body before he motioned for Steve to gather Tony’s shivering form. Slowly Bruce crawled back into the helicopter and retrieved the correct syringe. 

Bruce knelt by Steve and Tony as Steve yelled to inform the pilot that they were clear to take off. The helicopter rose in the air as Bruce slipped the needle of the syringe into the vain in the crook of Tony’s elbow. Their eyes met and Tony seemed relieved. Bruce knew Stark helped formulate the serum. It was designed in three different levels – Bruce had just administered the most powerful. The Hulk wouldn’t be back any time soon. 

“Banner.” Steve’s voice drew Bruce’s thoughts back to the world around him. Immediately Bruce looked towards where Clint lay – though he couldn’t see the man through all the medics that hovered over him. “What happened?” Captain America asked. 

Bruce wasn’t sure how to answer but words tumbled from his lips anyway. “What never should have happened has happened.” He informed his team leader and refused, at first to make eye contact. 

Slowly Bruce gave a detached report of what happened so that Steve could catch up on the details, or at least the details Bruce was able to give. When he was done he finally glanced in Steve’s direction. Tony was covered with a blanket and curled up in between them sound asleep as a result of the drug. Bruce wished for a moment that he could be blissfully unaware. 

“Clint said you were checking another location,” Bruce started as he glanced down at Tony with worried eyes. “How did you manage to get here so fast?” 

Steve cleared his throat and nodded before he answered. “We thought he was going to wait for his team, but he didn’t. Natasha was afraid he was planning something stupid and my location was an empty parking lot in Colorado – I volunteered to check on Clint and me and my team headed straight here. When Clint didn’t check in when he was supposed to, well, we knew we were in for some kind of fight.” 

Cap took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. “Do you have any idea of how they managed to remove the Hulk? How is it even possible to switch hosts?”

Bruce shook his head. “I don’t remember anything. At least nothing that would explain this.” Bruce waved a hand over Tony’s unconscious form. “Maybe Tony knows more, but he was so traumatized – I’m not sure, he might not remember anything at all. He could have blocked it all out.” 

A medic moved to grab something from the counter next to them and Steve grabbed her arm gently. “How is he?” Steve asked and nodded in Clint’s direction to clarify – not that clarification was really necessary. 

“I can’t give you full details – I’m not a doctor, just an EMT. However, I can tell you he’s alive and is in desperate need of surgery. The Helicarrier is on its way to meet us. We should land on deck in the next ten minutes.” With a small smile of encouragement the girl retracted her arm from Steve’s light grasp and went back to work on their friend. 

When they landed both Clint and Tony were whisked away. Tony was taken to the Hulk confinement room and Clint to the surgical wing of the medical floor. Since Bruce knew for certain that Tony would be out for hours because of the represent he decided to wait with Steve outside the surgical wing. 

“I want to see it.” Bruce spoke after a few minutes ticked by. Natasha was on her way and called every ten minutes for an update they didn’t have. 

“See what?” Steve asked quietly from where he paced in long strides across the room and back. 

Bruce took in a deep breath and released it slowly. It was easier for him to stay calm rather than to lose it. Calm was familiar. Calm in chaos – that was Bruce when he had the Hulk as a burden and even now that he didn’t – it was easier to stay the same. Besides, if he lost all control of his emotions he wouldn’t be able to fix anything. 

“Clint said that there was a video sent by the guy who did this.” Bruce clarified. “Well, the person who took us. I want to see it. Maybe there’s something – a link? We need to figure out who did this.” 

Steve nodded and moved over to a near by counsel. “We didn’t get much from it, but maybe you’ll see or hear something we missed.” 

After a file was clicked a video appeared on the screen. A pair of eyes appeared on the screen – they were red, probably tinted contacts to mask the wearer’s real eye color. The man’s skin, at least what was visible, was sun kissed and clear of marks that could be used to identify the speaker. A cloth was wrapped around the man’s face and head, which hid the rest of his features. 

“Greetings SHIELD,” the skin around the man’s red eyes crinkled – the sick freak had the audacity to smile. “Perhaps by now you’ve realized you are missing two of your – pets.” 

Bruce’s eyes narrowed at the screen – he didn’t recognize the voice. This also didn’t appear to be a personal attack on him or Tony. 

“Tony Stark believes that he is sharpest engineers on this planet – I am here to prove him, and all those who believe him, wrong.” 

Okay, Bruce winced deeply, this was a grudge match. 

“I am the superior engineer and to prove it I’m going to take his mind from him with my own creation.” The man laughed darkly and his eyes smiled once again as he looked into the camera. “Come find what remains.” 

The screen went black and Bruce’s shoulders slumped forward momentarily before he straightened. “If it was some kind of machine – we can rebuild it, we can fix this.” 

Steve was quiet for a moment before their eyes met. “Bruce, are you sure you can fix it?” 

Bruce knew things were stacked high against him, but he nodded anyway. “If Tony saw that machine I think we can rebuild it.” Together Bruce and Tony could build anything. “If anything I’m sure Natasha will be on the war path to find this guy. We’ll have something to work off of soon enough. It shouldn’t be too hard to rebuild it.”

“No, Bruce, I mean can you go through with fixing this. This is your chance, you could be free – “ 

“Steve.” Bruce interrupted, eyes narrow as the rage inside of him flared. “I will not let Tony suffer – Hulk is my burden. He doesn’t deserve this – any of this.” 

Slowly Steve nodded. “Okay.” 

The two went back to pacing as they waited. 

“He wanted to make sure Tony was calm.” Bruce announced after an hour of no word. Steve was in a chair now, hunched over with his hands supporting his chin. Captain America looked up at him in question. Bruce clarified with a shaky breath. “When we found Tony, he was mid transformation – had been for a while. He was stuck in limbo – not Hulk or, well, Tony. There was this drug they were pumping into him - ” 

“Bruce,” Steve started – he sounded unsure and probably didn’t want to hear any more bad news. Bruce couldn’t blame him, but he needed to talk to someone and Steve was better than Natasha. 

“No, let me get this out.” Bruce held up a hand and shook his head. “Clint saw the danger. All I saw was Tony in pain – the pain I should have been in. We should have waited longer and like Clint wanted, made sure Tony was under complete control. We moved to fast and Tony lost it – Hulk hit Clint in the chest. God, Steve, I thought he was dead.” 

“Bruce.” Steve stood and reached out to try and comfort his teammate. “I would have done the same. If Clint really wanted to wait any longer, he would have – you know that. He is as stubborn as they come.” 

Banner couldn’t really argue with that – it was very difficult to tell Clint ‘no’ if the man didn’t agree. 

“Still – “ 

“We can’t live in a world of ‘what if’s,’ Bruce. That kind of thinking will literally eat you alive.” Steve sighed and squeezed Bruce’s shoulder to reassure him. “We can still work things out – Clint’s a survivor.” 

Bruce let the words sink in and smiled shyly. “Sometimes I forget how wise you are, Steve.” 

“It’s because I look younger than I actually am.” Steve winked playfully. 

The light moment was short lived when a bang signaled someone swinging the door down the hall in a bit too hard. 

Natasha appeared and the boys both paled as she stalked towards them. 

“How is he?” The Widow demanded as she stepped right into her teammates’ personal space. 

“No word.” Steve took the lead in an attempt to calm Clint’s enraged partner. 

And here Bruce thought Hulk was terrifying. He was a puppy compared to Natasha. 

“The idiot.” Natasha raged openly but Bruce could see the raw concern in her eyes. “I told him to wait for the SHIELD team – he doesn’t listen.” She shook her head and looked like she wanted to punch something – or someone. 

“I – I think I’m going to go check on Tony.” Bruce announced quietly, but stopped to look at Steve – his question written in his eyes. 

“I’ll keep you updated.” Steve promised with a weak smile. 

With a single nod Bruce left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments! I'm glad everyone likes the story so far!


	6. Chapter 6

Bruce was amazed at what SHIELD could do in such a short time. Being the former Hulk Bruce was very familiar with the Hulk Panic Room. A room specially designed by SHIELD architects, Tony and himself. 

Normally it was a rather plain room with nothing special other than everything being triple reinforced. There was a ‘viewing’ area that surrounded the glass cage. Inside the cage there were vents that would flood the space with sedatives created specifically to knock out the Hulk. 

There was nothing homey inside the glass – well, normally. Currently the inside of the Hulk Cage was decorated like a hospital room. Of course there were no flowers or needless objects like that, but Tony was settled on a rather fluffy medical bed. He looked comfortable enough, which pleased Bruce. 

Thankfully the chairs SHIELD provided were just as comfortable. Bruce sunk into the one directly next to Tony’s bedside and promptly took up vigil. 

Tony looked pale and his face looked drawn even in sleep – stressed. Bruce was personally acquainted with the pain of transforming back and forth from Hulk to human and the toll it took on a body. With a glance at the IV strapped to the back of Tony’s hand Bruce hoped that there were painkillers mixed in with the Hulk sedative. 

Bruce read the side of the IV bag and saw SHEILD had Tony on the middle version of the Hulk drug. In theory it should keep Tony as human and allow him to communicate freely without having to worry about the Hulk popping in for a visit. The downside of the drug was Tony wouldn’t be able to move a finger. 

A nurse informed Bruce that Tony should wake up soon. It was both good and bad news for Bruce. On one hand he was happy that Tony would be okay – well, as okay as one could be after having a screaming beast shoved into your head. On the other Bruce didn’t want to be the one to give Tony any more bad news. 

As far as Bruce knew Tony had no idea what the Hulk did to Clint after he lost control. 

“Is he always so damn loud?” A weak voice joked from the bed and informed Bruce that Tony had returned to the land of the living. 

Bruce granted Tony a lopsided smile and nodded minutely. “Yep. He likes you to know that he’s still there – twenty four hours a day seven days a week.” 

Tony groaned but otherwise couldn’t move because of the drug. “It’s like I’m getting a headache from inside my own head – how is that even possible?” 

“Gamma radiation.” Bruce supplied lightly. There was only so much lighthearted banter they could pull off in this situation. “Tony – “ 

“I didn’t know before.” Tony closed his eyes – obviously tired. “I think I might have gotten it wrong.” 

“Tony – “ 

“No, really, I get it now.” Tony opened his eyes and looked at his teammate. Bruce could tell he was trying to stay light and keep up with his normal sarcasm. Tony continued with a plastic smile. “I couldn’t live like this. How the hell do you – did you do it? The transformation. God it hurts like a mother.”

“What you went through isn’t a fair assessment of the Hulk.” Bruce offered. “Not really. You were basically being ripped apart for a day and then some. That would drive anyone insane, but it won’t happen again.” 

“How can you be sure?” Tony asked, a bit more serious than before. 

“I’m going to fix this.” Bruce promised. 

Tony eyed Bruce for a moment before he closed his eyes. “That’s good, cuz this sucks. Next time our team switches powers I want Steve’s. Super strength to go with my super good looks.” 

Bruce smiled lightly at that. “Well, if I can help make that happen I will.” He promised. “We’ll fix this first, though. Someone sent us a video – some sort of machine made this possible, so if we put our heads together we should be able to reverse this relatively fast.” 

“I got a look at said machine. A good one.” Tony announced after a pause. He swallowed thickly. “You were kind of out of it at the time.” 

“Was I drugged?” Bruce frowned even though he was glad Tony had brought some good news to the conversation – finally. “Sorry, that was a stupid question – of course I was drugged.” Bruce rolled his eyes and sighed. 

Tony seemed to consider the question anyway and his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Yeah, I think it was the same stuff they were pumping into me, but I don’t understand why it only successfully worked on you.” 

“Because, well, I’m used to Hulk?” Bruce offered an answer. “I’ve been dealing with the Hulk for a while now, it’s, um, normal for you to struggle at first? I know I did. I didn’t have any control when I – uh, you know.” 

Tony smirked faintly. “Yeah, I know.” 

“Look, I’ll do whatever I can to help you.” Bruce repeated with more confidence now that he knew that Tony had seen the machine. Between the two of them they’d be able to solve this swiftly. 

“I heard you the first time Bru – “ 

Steve was suddenly at the counsel outside the glass cage punching in his security code. The door slid open and Steve stepped inside with a grim expression that sent chills down Bruce’s spine. Quickly Bruce’s mind switched focus from Tony back to Clint.

“Cap, no flowers?” Tony greeted brightly despite his situation. Now that he wasn’t in such extreme pain he looked a bit less hopeless. 

Bruce watched Steve and felt the blood drain from his own face. He still hadn’t told Tony about Clint – now there would be no way to hide it. Steve locked eyes first with Tony and than glanced at Bruce. 

“I’m sorry Tony,” Steve tried to be light and failed. “I’ve been kind of – busy.” 

“If you don’t bring a man flowers you should at least bring him coffee.” Tony grinned like a fool. 

Steve’s smile slipped and he glanced at Bruce for help. Bruce took the hint and patted Tony’s arm lightly. “The last thing you need is caffeine, trust me.” 

“There is such thing as decaffeinated coffee.” Tony pointed out with a wiggle of his eyebrows. At least the drug seemed to allow Tony some power over his expression. 

“You mean the stuff that you call ‘mud mixed with chemicals?’ Decaffeinated coffee still has caffeine, just not as much.” 

“Alright, you are the expert.” Tony sighed dramatically before he turned his attention back to Steve. “So, are you here to tell me a bedtime story?” 

“Uh,” Steve fumbled and looked back at Bruce. “Clint made it through surgery, Natasha’s sitting with him now.” 

Bruce stood as relief flooded through him. At least it was good news. Bruce wasn’t sure how Tony would take it if Clint were to die. “Is he awake?” 

Steve shook his head. “Not yet – “ 

“Wait, what the hell is going on?” Tony’s sharp voice drew Bruce’s attention back to the bed. Bruce could see the other man was distressed under his fragile mask. Still, under the sarcasm and wit Tony’s face had gone pale and his forehead was beaded with sweat. “What’s wrong with Clint? Was it his appendix? I knew it would be something stupid that knocked him down.” 

Steve caught Banner’s eyes and the two hesitated before he tried to gently answer Tony’s question. 

“Um, Tony – “ 

“Steve,” Tony interrupted. Dead serious as his eyes narrowed. “Spit it out.” 

“It was Hulk.” Bruce found himself saying. “Hulk swung out and hit Clint in the chest.” Again Bruce knew exactly how it felt to be the Hulk. To wake up and wonder who the beast had hurt when the other guy had been in control. Now Tony would know that fear. 

It would have been kinder to punch Tony in the face. The billionaire went transparent in color and stopped breathing for a beat. 

“What?” Tony’s jaw dropped and his eyes flashed green. 

“Breathe, Tony.” Bruce coached as he turned his full attention to Tony. 

Tony blinked and nodded as he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He repeated the breaths over the next few minutes and his eyes shifted back to brown. “Okay, sorry.” He groaned, but didn’t appear to be in any pain. The Hulk was once again fully contained. “I – I did it?” 

“Hulk.” Steve tried to lessen the impact of the news. “Hulk did it.” 

“But I lost control.” Tony tried. “He tried to calm me down and – God.” 

Bruce held up a hand to capture Tony’s shaky attention. “You are the one who tries to convince me that what he does isn’t my fault. This wasn’t yours. You and Hulk were tortured for over a day and you both reacted. It wasn’t your fault. You were as much of a victim as Clint.” The words Bruce spoke felt strange coming from his own lips. 

Tony looked broken, but nodded. “I guess I can’t really argue with my own logic.” He offered, but clearly wasn’t overly convinced. 

Bruce’s annoyance flared, but he knew more than anyone what a burden Hulk was. “Tony, stop thinking and start listening to your own advice. If you don’t believe yourself, why should I?” 

“True.” Tony’s eyes narrowed, but remained brown. He also remained in control as he stared back at Bruce. “Okay, Cap.” Tony turned his attention back to Steve. “How’s our feathered friend?” 

Steve seemed to relax as he answered. “It’s not good, but the doctor seemed confident that he is going to live.” 

“Just list out the damage.” Tony seemed done with the stalling. He wanted the cold hard facts and honestly, so did Bruce. 

“Four cracked ribs, the rest badly bruised. One pierced lung and the other one was badly bruised. A concussion accompanied with a nice gash on the back of his head – it took twenty stitches to close it. Partially dislocated knee on his right leg – presumably from the third impact.” 

Bruce frowned, but realized there were three impacts: Hulk, wall and then ground. 

“And his spine?” Bruce breathed, terrified of the answer. 

Steve hesitated, but answered dutifully. “It’s not broken, but the bruising is bone deep and extensive. They aren’t sure if it’ll disrupt his ability to walk yet. They won’t really know until he wakes up.” 

Bruce and Tony soaked in the information and the silence settled. 

“If he wakes up.” Steve added quietly with dropped eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for all the comments/bookmarks/kudos! I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story!


	7. Chapter 7

It was so quiet in the Panic Room that Bruce was sure they could hear a pin drop as the men digested the information about their fallen teammate. Clint’s injuries were extensive and could very well force him from the Avengers Initiative. That thought alone was enough to make Bruce’s stomach turn painfully. 

“I should head back.” Steve announced finally and started to back from the room. His blue eyes fluttered from Tony to Bruce and back again. “I should see if Natasha needs anything.”

“Wait, I want to come.” Tony announced, but couldn’t move due to the drugs currently weighing him down. “Get me a wheelchair, something – I want to see him.” 

Bruce glanced at Steve, but focused back on Tony before their eyes could meet. “Tony, we can’t move you yet. Not until we’re sure you can control the Hulk a little bit better.” 

Anger flooded Stark’s expression and Bruce noticed his eyes flash green, but the rage deflated as quickly as it erupted. “This sucks.” He grumbled and closed his eyes to relax a bit more. 

Bruce had a pretty solid idea of what was happening in Tony’s mind at the moment. Hulk was probably screaming his head off – fighting to regain total control over his new host’s body. Hulk probably wanted to see ‘Birdie’ as much as Tony wanted to see ‘Feathers,’ but it wouldn’t be safe for Clint. Not until Tony had better control over his new situation. 

Steve tried to look sympathetic, but Bruce knew the man had no idea what Tony was going through. Bruce did. He was the only one who could relate to what Tony was dealing with mentally and physically. 

“I’ll, um – it’ll be okay.” Steve offered as he backed out of the room. On some level Steve must have realized that the best person to deal with Tony was Bruce, but Banner could tell that he was having some trouble leaving a teammate in distress. “I’ll be back later. Or sooner, if there is any change with Clint.” Was his last promise before he left them alone – sealing the door behind him. 

With Steve gone Bruce let the room go silent. Tony was still on the bed with his eyes closed. Anyone that happened to pass by would probably think he was asleep. Bruce figured that Tony was attempting to work things out in his head. Problem solve – like he always did. 

Finally Tony opened his eyes and looked at Bruce. “Can you help me regain control? I can’t help you rebuild the machine like this. If you can help me they can give me the drug that allows me to move, at least.” 

The idea of teaching Tony Stark patients was laughable under normal circumstances - not that Tony wasn’t smart enough to learn, he was a certified genius. Tony was the kind of guy who could learn a whole section of study in a night – he had proven he could do that. However what was happening was far from normal circumstances with new variables that would cause setbacks. 

There was also a difference from problem solving or working out a puzzle and retraining a personality. 

Tony wasn’t one to restrain his emotions – well, that wasn’t exactly true. He had masks that he slipped in and out of as easy as changing socks. Still, when he got angry he rarely held it in. Case and point would be the frequent arguments he had with Steve over relatively nothing. 

The circumstance and desperation were enough that Bruce could bet that he’d have Tony’s full attention. It was just a matter of finding a system of calming that worked for the billionaire and Bruce had a very strong feeling that meditation wouldn’t be helpful for Tony. 

“Okay.” Bruce agreed and pulled up a chair. This was going to be a long afternoon. “Let’s get started.” 

They spent the next three hours with Bruce teaching Tony, to the best of his ability how to meditate and a few other helpful tricks to keep his emotions in check. After a while they had both grown tired and Bruce decided to call it a night. He hated to leave Tony alone so he called Steve to watch over the new Hulk and found a place to curl up and sleep. 

Bruce slept for almost eighteen hours. Not because he wanted to but because his body demanded it. When he regained consciousness he learned from Steve that Tony was still asleep although he had woken up a few times. After wandering around for a bit Bruce ended up outside of Clint’s recovery room. 

It took him a few minutes to gather the courage needed to knock on the door. Natasha opened the door a few seconds later. She stared at Bruce for a calculating moment before she stepped aside to let him enter. 

Clint lay on a bed identical to the one Tony had been given in the Panic Room, but there were more tubes and machines hooked up to the fallen archer. 

“How is he?” Bruce asked quietly even though he knew nothing would disturb his heavily drugged friend. 

“Unconscious.” Natasha replied coolly. “But that’s what happens when an idiot tries to sooth a rage monster.” She added offhandedly as she sat back in the chair closest to Clint’s bedside. 

“It,” Bruce started but stopped to consider his words more carefully. “Tony and Hulk were in a lot of pain, Hulk didn’t realize who was around him or I think he would have stopped.” Bruce sighed. He had told Tony the story as well. How Hulk had felt guilt and helped Bruce carry Clint’s broken body out of the complex. How the Hulk had shielded them from the gunfire and saved their lives. 

Tony had smiled as arrogant as ever and said, ‘told you so.’ 

Natasha seemed skeptical but nodded. “Steve said as much.” 

Bruce knew that Natasha wasn’t Hulk’s biggest fan. Ever since the incident on the Hellicarrier she kept her distance from the green beast and demanded that her partner did as well. Clint of course did whatever he wanted, whether it was healthy or not. 

“I never thought he could act like that.” Bruce admitted. “He was so careful when he held Clint.” 

The redhead rolled her eyes and seemed angry to Bruce. “Normally I wouldn’t believe a story as wild as that, since I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but coming from you – “ She shook her head and shrugged a shoulder. “It’s hard to believe, but I believe you.” Natasha exhaled loudly. “Just for once I wish this idiot would have gotten out of the way.” 

Bruce looked back at Clint and couldn’t help but agree. Clint was the only human out of all the Avengers. Natasha, Steve and Bruce all had versions of super-serum pulsing through their veins. Thor was a God and Tony was part machine – sort of. Clint was just a normal guy. Well, as normal as an ex-carnie/criminal/SHIELD agent could be. 

“He’ll be okay.” Bruce told her after a stretch of silence. Natasha looked at him and with a silent expression asked Bruce how. With a flicker of a smile Bruce answered the unasked question. “Because if he isn’t fine Tony and I will figure out a way to fix him.” He promised. 

_

Over the next week Tony slowly regained enough control over his emotions to be taken off the paralytic drug. He and Bruce focused all their time and attention on rebuilding the machine – or at least their version of the machine. 

Between the two of them they managed to figure out the mechanics of what had happened and to the best of their abilities they had recreated a machine that, in theory, should be able to switch things back to normal. 

The biggest problem they were facing was that they weren’t positive contraption would work exactly how they wanted. Without seeing the original machine or being able to question it’s creator they had no idea if the thing would work or make things worse. 

Meanwhile Clint was still unconscious, the doctors had placed him in a medically induced a coma. They explained that his body needed time to recuperate from the trauma it had gone through. The doctors wanted to wait until Clint’s ribs started to show improvement and the swelling to go down around his spine before waking Clint up. 

Bruce learned another reason from Natasha – Clint had a bad habit of escaping medical before he was suppose to leave and the doctors didn’t want to risk that if his back was fine. 

Steve acted as messenger most of the time. Going from Natasha to Tony and Bruce with new information or bringing them food and other useful items. 

After SHIELD picked up a possible lead Natasha left to investigate. She told Steve not to leave Clint alone – she didn’t trust SHIELD with her partner unsupervised. 

Steve had remained with Clint after that and only took breaks when Bruce came to stay in his place. Clint didn’t look any better, or worse as the days were checked off the calendar. 

“I say we try it.” Tony announced after they checked and rechecked their mechanical creation. The simulations they had run were pretty much useless – there was no real equation to figure out if it would work in the end. The results they had gotten were disconcerting at best. 

Bruce looked up from his notes and blinked. The tests they had run were complete disasters and the likelihood of their survival was raised rather high against them. 

“Tony we have no idea what it might do to us if something isn’t wired or programed correctly.” Bruce pointed out carefully as he absentmindedly cleaned his glasses on the hem of his shirt. “Judging by the last test I’d say the odds of something going wrong is worth betting a small fortune on.” 

Tony set a wrench down on the table a little harder than necessary and narrowed his eyes at Bruce. “You want to know what I think?” 

No, Bruce thought to himself numbly – he didn’t want to know. Bruce just wanted Natasha to come back and have all the answers, but she’d been out of contact. 

“I think,” Tony continued without any more prodding. “You like the quiet.” 

Slowly Bruce started to protest but Tony held his hand to silence his friend and continued. “No, don’t try and deny it Bruce.” Tony’s agitation had Bruce flinching back a step. Now that he was on the lower Hulk suppressors Tony had less control over Hulk – if he lost it the beast could make an appearance. Neither of them wanted that but Tony didn’t seem to care at the moment. 

“You like the quiet – it’s nice. You’re getting used to it again and don’t want to risk it ending just yet.” Tony snapped angrily. “What happened to ‘I’m going to fix this Tony,’ huh, Bruce?” 

“I am going to fix it.” Bruce promised earnestly. He understood Tony’s inpatients. Hulk should never have been the billionaire’s responsibility. 

“Then why aren’t you willing to try it?” Tony yelled, eyes a dangerous mixture of brown and green. 

Bruce glared back with his own anger unchecked. “Because it could kill us!” 

“It’s not going to kill us!” Tony barked back bitterly. “We’ve run all the test possible, but those tests were insufficient. They don’t have all the data of our genetic makeup or the Hulk’s – whatever. It’s impossible for them to be one hundred percent accurate. We won’t know if it works unless we outright try it.” 

“Tony, don’t be a fool.” Bruce snapped and shook his head hard. “We can’t rush into this. Natasha will be back soon – “ 

“And what if she comes back with no useful information?” Tony growled as his skin turned a shade greener. “Then what? We wait some more?” 

“Tony, you need to calm down.” Bruce coached, his own anger suddenly replaced with fear. 

“No!” Tony roared as his body bubbled and expanded. Bruce stepped back as Hulk tossed a fist into the ground where he had been standing. The beast let out another rumbling growl as his big green eyes glared down at Banner. 

“Fix Hulk.” Bruce’s former other half demanded. 

Bruce sighed heavily and nodded to the beast. “I’m working on it.” He promised.


	8. Chapter 8

Bruce was only mildly surprised at this point to learn that Hulk wanted out of Tony as much as Tony wanted the Hulk out of him. It only took a few minutes to convince Hulk to calm down enough to morph back down into a very unhappy Tony. 

Silently Tony accepted a new pair of scrubs from Bruce, but he didn’t meet his friend’s eyes or make any indication that he wanted to talk. 

“Tony I’m going to fix – “ 

“Just go, Bruce.” Tony interrupted and waved Banner off as he moved back to sit on his bed.

Bruce lingered for a moment longer after being dismissed before he finally left Tony in peace. 

With a heavy heart Bruce walked through the halls of the helicarrier aimlessly. His mind turned over the conversation he had with Tony. Silently he began to question his own motives. Was he stalling? Part of him was certain Tony was being rash and not thinking things through. The machine really did have the potential to kill them, or possibly fry their brains. However there was a big chance that Bruce was being overly cautious – a big possibility. 

What Tony had said was true, in a way. Bruce did like the silence. He did like the fact that he didn’t have to worry about the possibility if he lost control and so many other perks one had when one wasn’t half rage monster. Hulk was a burden, but he was Bruce’s burden, not Tony’s. He knew he couldn’t live with himself if he left Tony in his current condition. Bruce couldn’t live freely with the knowledge that he had left Tony chained to a demon. 

Distraught Bruce decided to check on his other demon. 

Steve looked up from his sketchpad as Bruce knocked and entered Clint’s hospital room. The archer was still very much unconscious with the same amount of machines attached to his body as the last time Bruce had seen him. 

The bruises that had painted Clint’s chest a horrible shade of purple were faded now. Bruce could see traces of the bruises left but instead of the deep plum they had been they were faded down to pale green and yellow. 

“How is he?” Bruce asked, even though it was obvious. 

“The same.” Steve sighed out the answer as he looked at Clint. The Captain looked tired himself and pale. “How’s Tony?” 

Bruce collapsed into a near by chair and groaned. “Growing more and more frustrated.” Again Bruce found himself studying Steve. “When was the last time you slept?” The technically uncertified medical doctor inside of him questioned his team leader. 

“A few hours ago.” Steve answered a little too quickly. 

“I meant when was the last time you slept for more than an hour or two at a time.” Bruce corrected knowingly. 

Steve chuckled. “Before Natasha left. It was easier when she was here. I kind of hope she’ll return soon.” 

“So do I.” Bruce nodded and stood. “Go find an actual bed and sleep for a while.” He ordered Steve both seriously and playfully. “I’ll look after Clint – I think Tony needs a break for a while anyway.” 

Reluctantly Steve nodded and folded his sketchbook closed as he stood. “My neck thanks you. Apparently even with the enhancement of the super serum it is still uncomfortable to sleep in hospital chairs. Even ones as comfortable as these.” 

“Take your time.” Bruce nodded and took Steve’s place by Clint’s bedside.

Steve nodded gratefully and left the room. 

Left alone with Clint Bruce glanced at the monitors casually before he hunched over in defeat. The doctors were still unsure of how Clint would be when he woke up. Would he be able to walk? They weren’t sure. The swelling in his back around his spine had gone down, but really they needed Clint to walk up and answer their questions for them. 

“Aren’t we a pair?” Bruce mumbled and leaned back. “I kind of wish I was the one unconscious, honestly, but no you had to be the hero. Like always.” Bruce sighed. Of course what he said was a lie. Bruce didn’t want to be in Clint’s current position. He also didn’t want to be in his own – he wished everything hadn’t changed so drastically, but that wasn’t how life worked. 

“I’m not sure if we can fix this. Tony’s angry – he thinks I don’t want the Hulk back. He is right, of course, but I wouldn’t leave him saddled with something I created. My demon.” 

Bruce sighed and shook his head as he looked down at his hands. “Don’t get me wrong, I thought about it. I’m not a Saint. I’ve thought about slipping out the back door and never looking back. I couldn’t. I could never do that to a friend. He doesn’t deserve it.” 

“I’ll miss the quiet, you know? I had forgotten how wonderful it is. You understand, you get it – I’m sure. You’re a sniper and you spend a lot of time alone. You must understand the joy of things being quiet. You have no idea how it feels to share your mind with something else. Having a creature within you screaming for control over what is yours.” 

Bruce chuckled. “Well, no, I guess I’m wrong. You have shared your mind with a demon, haven’t you? The whole Loki thing – I’m sorry. Sometimes I forget because you never talk about it. I guess I never talk about the other guy either. Can’t even say ‘Hulk’ half of the time. And hell, what would be the point of talking about something I couldn’t change? There was no chance of being free, but now – now I have that chance and I can’t even take it.” 

Bruce dropped his head to his chest and groaned. “I couldn’t do that to a friend. Anyone else, maybe, but not Tony.” 

“Well shit.” 

Bruce’s head jerked up at the sound of the soft, rough voice. His eyes focused immediately on Clint’s face. The archer’s slightly foggy eyes were open. He was awake. 

“I thought my day was bad.” Clint continued airily. His voice was only vaguely loud enough for Bruce to hear. 

“Clint?” Bruce gaped back at his friend in complete surprise. 

“The one and – “ Clint was cut off by a weak and dry cough. It sounded painful to Bruce’s ears. 

“Only.” Clint finished before another coughing fit overwhelmed him and shook his battered body. 

“I’ll get you some water.” Bruce announced and stood so abruptly he almost fell over. After he recovered he moved to the sink on the other side of the room and returned with a glass and straw. 

Clint sucked the water up greedily and Bruce automatically pulled it back. “Slowly, you don’t want to make yourself throw up.” 

“Nope.” Clint agreed with a tired nod and when Bruce guided the straw back to the archer’s lips he obliged and drank slower. 

When Bruce pulled away again Clint sighed in relief. “How long?” 

“How long until what?” Bruce blinked with confusion. 

“How long have I been out?” Clint sighed and looked around the room. Probably for Natasha, Bruce thought as his heart twisted in his chest. 

“Long enough, more than a week – I haven’t really been keeping track of the days.” Bruce said and immediately felt guilty. Carefully Bruce leaned over and pressed the button to alert a nurse to come to the room. “Um, how do you feel?”

“Like I should shoot the driver of the truck that hit me.” Clint grumbled and tried to shift only to grunt in pain. “Happened?” 

Bruce decided not to sit down, but instead he shifted nervously on his feet. “Um, what do you remember?” 

Clint seemed to consider the question and closed his eyes to think back. A few minutes ticked by and for a moment Bruce thought the archer might have fallen back asleep. 

Then finally Clint answered. “Hulk’s fist. Should have ducked. Or weaved left, or something.” Clint sighed and opened his eyes. “Did, I – I thought, was – was Hulk Tony?” 

Bruce swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yep. Still is, but we’re working on it.” 

“Yeah, heard some of your monolog.” Clint nodded and looked over as a nurse entered with a doctor in tow. 

“Agent Barton, good to see you back with us.” The doctor announced with a friendly smile. Bruce glanced at the nametag and saw the man’s name was Dr. Marc. Bruce hadn’t been around enough to familiarize himself with the medical staff. 

“Marc, nice to be here.” Clint greeted with a grin. Apparently they were familiar with one another. “Although I was having a pretty awesome dream about a blond and a brunette.” 

“I’ll make sure to mention that to Natasha.” Dr. Marc teased as he and the nurse began to check Clint’s vitals over. A few basic questions were asked and answered and finally the biggest concern was brought up. 

“You did a number on yourself,” Marc informed Clint, Bruce hovered in the corner as he waited for the most concerning results. “We need to make sure the impact didn’t do anything permanent to your back.”

“My back?” Clint immediately went white – well, whiter, nearly translucent. Immediately Clint’s leg twitched and Bruce let out the breath he’d been holding. 

“Wait a moment, Agent, you don’t want to accidently strain anything by moving to fast. We’re just going to do a few tests to make sure everything is working properly.” Dr. Marc said as he placed a restraining hand on Clint’s knee. 

“Fine, but I moved it – that’s good right?” Clint breathed, clearly in pain. 

“Yes, but we don’t want you to agitate any injury you might still have. Only move if I tell you to, alright?” 

“Sure thing, Doc.” Clint nodded weakly and waited for instruction. 

They ran through several tests. When they had finished Marc smiled at Clint before giving him the okay sign. “Seems like everything is working as it should. You’ll still have to go through some Physical Therapy, but you should be back in the field before long.” The doctor announced and then left the two Avengers to themselves. 

Clint looked exhausted as Bruce settled down in the chair next to his bedside. Bruce debated silently on whether or not he should inform Steve and Tony that Clint had woken up, but decided to wait a little longer. Cap needed all the sleep he could get and Tony still needed some time to cool off. Not to mention Bruce was fairly sure Tony wouldn’t listen to anything he said at the moment. Not that Bruce could really blame him.

“Natasha? She’s gone after the guy that started this, hasn’t she?” Clint asked after a few minutes of silence ticked by. 

“Yep.” Bruce answered dutifully. “She’s been out of contact, but Fury said that’s normal.” 

“She’s probably close.” Clint nodded with no fear in his eyes. He trusted Natasha to take care of herself. Probably a significant amount more than Natasha trusted him.

“I hope so.” Bruce sighed, but knew the longer they waited the harder it would be for him to reverse the situation. “Look, Clint, I just wanted you to know that I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not your fault.” Clint’s eyes narrowed. “Like I said I made a stupid move trying to calm Hulk down. He didn’t even see me when he swung out.” Clint shrugged a shoulder in indifference. 

“I should have listened to you, about keeping Tony hooked up. He would have been more stable on the drug.” Bruce shook his head in protest. “If he had been on the drug this wouldn’t have happened.” He added and waved a hand to gesture to Clint’s injuries. 

“We had no idea what that drug was or the damages it might have been doing to him.” Clint shrugged a shoulder. “I wanted Tony free from the drug just as much as you did. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have let you unhook him.” Clint smirked. “And no offense, Doc, but you wouldn’t have been able to stop me stop you.” 

Bruce gave a watery grin and nodded half-heartedly. “Maybe.” 

“Definitely.” Clint grinned, but it faded quickly. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Just – “ Bruce started only to stop. “I think I should listen to Tony.” 

Clint’s eyes narrowed worriedly. “Bruce, when has listening to Tony ever been a good idea?” 

“If I don’t do it now, I might lose my courage. I might never want to go back.” Bruce started to ramble. His eyes dropped from Clint.

“Bruce, what are you talking about?” Clint asked and Bruce met his eyes as he stood. 

“We’re going to try and fix this.” Bruce announced. “I can’t wait. If I wait – I just can’t. I can’t do that to Tony.” 

“What? Wait a minute – “ Clint struggled but his exhaustion tied him down. 

“Clint, if it doesn’t work, well, you were a good friend. A great one.” Bruce started to back out of the room. “Look after yourself.” 

“Bruce!” Clint shouted after him but Bruce didn’t turn back. 

It was probably blind determination that pushed Bruce forward and down the halls. He was barely aware of what he was doing as he collected the machine and pushed it into Tony’s glass room. 

Tony looked up from where he lay on the bed and raised a questioning eyebrow. 

“Still want to try it?” Bruce asked flatly. 

Tony pushed himself up and off the bed and nodded skeptically. “What changed your mind?” Stark questioned. 

“Clint woke up.” Bruce answered easily. “And Hulk.” 

“Hulk?” Tony asked openly confused. 

“He wants to come home.” Bruce shrugged and looked at the machine pointedly. He was trying desperately not to think of all the things that could go wrong. They should wait for Natasha to come home, but Bruce wasn’t sure he could. Not now. They needed to do this now. 

Tony nodded slowly and moved over to the machine. They set up the wires and cords and slipped the complex looking helmets onto their heads. 

“Are you sure?” Tony asked and Bruce was surprised to see that he looked a little hesitant. Maybe the billionaire had never considered that Bruce would actually agree. It was too late to turn back now – at least for Bruce. He had to do this now. 

“Yes.” Bruce nodded. He knew if he didn’t do it now and Natasha came back empty handed they’d never try it. 

“You?” Bruce checked to make sure. 

Tony’s nod was enough of an answer for Bruce and before he could lose his courage he flipped the switch and screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is having/had a wonderful holiday!


	9. Chapter 9

When Bruce woke it was to the sound of a loud roar inside of his head. The noise was familiar but he still flinched away even though he literally could not escape the sound. Immediately Bruce set his full attention to calm his inner beast. Disorientation hit him as his eyes blinked open and Bruce felt cornered and afraid. Had Ross captured him? Did he need to run?

Two faces were eerily close as his eyes managed to focus through the white wash of hospital lighting. Bruce winced and adjusted himself on the hospital bed to give himself some more distance. “Um, hi?” He greeted awkwardly with the silent hope that they’d back off. 

Clint was the first to move back and Tony was slow to follow. “Whelp, looks like I was right. Pay up.” Tony announced and stuck his hand out towards Clint who settled heavily in a near by chair. 

“I never actually bet you anything, Tony.” Clint smirked playfully. 

“Um.” Bruce interrupted their odd exchange. “What happened?” 

“You tried to die and we didn’t let you.” Tony answered with a bit too much cheer. 

“I did what?” Bruce questioned and tried to sit up. A strong hand kept him in place and Bruce glanced to his other side to see Steve. 

“You decided to listen to Stark, that’s what happened.” Clint growled. “I told you it was a bad idea, but did you listen? No.” 

“It worked?” Bruce knew it was true. He felt the heavy weight of the Hulk inside his head. The beast grumbled quietly in the back of Bruce’s mind but somehow felt quieter than normal. Less agitated – almost grateful, Bruce thought. 

“Barely.” Tony admitted with a deep wince. “Our machine was a little, well, rough around the edges.” 

“Rough.” Clint snorted in disapproval. 

“Okay, so we may have gotten the calculations slightly wrong.” Tony waved his hand in dismissal. 

“Slightly.” Clint scoffed again with a roll of his eyes. 

Bruce smiled slightly, but his heart sunk deep inside his chest. Half of him had hoped that the machine wouldn’t work – or if it did, he wouldn’t survive the procedure. He knew it was selfish and that Tony and Clint both would have suffered if he had died, but Bruce had tasted freedom only to lose it all over again. 

His dark thoughts must have shown in his expression because Clint’s hand gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “Should I give you the cliché, ‘you gave us quite a scare’ speech?” The archer asked with a sympathetic smile. 

“Nah, you can skip it.” Bruce offered a shaky smile in return. He felt crowded, but didn’t want to admit it to the others. They had been worried about him and he couldn’t deny them their right to console him. 

Steve stepped back without needing to be told. “I’ll check in again later, I promised Natasha an update when you woke.” 

Bruce nodded and relaxed a bit more. “Thanks, Steve. For being here.” He told the man sincerely. Steve smiled and backed from the room. 

When Steve left Bruce turned his attention back to his remaining companions. “What was the bet?” 

“You mean the non-bet?” Clint corrected. He sighed and stretched awkwardly as if his back bothered him. It probably did. “Tony said if we stared hard enough at you it would wake you up.” 

“How long – “ Bruce turned his narrowed eyes at Tony. 

“Ironically less than a minute. That’s why he owes me something.” Tony grinned at Clint who rolled his eyes to the ceiling in reply. “We’ll work it out later.” Stark promised only to make Clint groan. 

“So, what happened? Preferably with more detail than, ‘you tried to die.’” Bruce inquired lightly. His head hurt so bad it felt like something very large and angry had kicked him. 

“You flipped the switch and, well, the pain was fairly intense. You passed out but I was lucky enough to witness the whole thing. Again. Basically it worked, but we really should have considered giving you a Hulk repressor.” 

Fear struck Bruce like lightening. “Did I – “ 

“You, well, he trashed the room but that was all. Hulk was almost careful, looking before he smashed like a good little Hulk. I think hurting Clint freaked him out.” Tony shrugged and nodded to Barton. 

Clint grunted in agreement and suddenly a thought struck Bruce. 

“Should you be out of bed? How long have I been out?” 

Tony jumped to answer. “Only a day an a half and no, he probably shouldn’t be out of bed. However no one has managed to talk him back into bed, so until Natasha is done with Dumbnuts we decided to let him be.” 

“Decided.” Clint echoed flatly, like it meant something different to him. 

Bruce frowned. “Dumbnuts?” He questioned. 

“Nathan Walker, the idiot who did this to me – ahem, us. Natasha tracked him down and was nice enough to bring him into SHIELD custody instead of killing him.” Tony shrugged. “Although he had to be treated for several broken bones in both hands and a few other semi-serious injuries. The doctors said he probably won’t be able to use his hands correctly again.” He shrugged indifferently. “No more building power switching machines for him.” Tony grinned. “Which is a shame, because I still want what Cap’s got. Except for the whole not able to get drunk thing – that would suck.” 

“So – it’s over?” Bruce asked, it all felt surreal. One minute everything had fallen apart and now everything appeared to be okay again. Mostly. “Am I okay?” 

“You were basically struck by lightning, but yeah, you’ll be fine.” Tony grinned mischievously. 

“And you?” He asked Tony. The man seemed better – back to his old self. 

“Fine.” Tony sobered slightly and looked at Clint oddly before continuing. “Look, Bruce, I was out of line. Before. I was - ” 

“Shut up.” Bruce interrupted with a shake of his head. “It’s done.” 

“Yeah, but I was pushy and selfish and you had a point about waiting – “ Tony started to ramble. 

“Tony, I said shut up.” Bruce insisted. “I’m just glad it’s over.” 

Tony fell silent for a few minutes before he tried to talk again. “Bruce, are you okay though? With the Hulk – “ 

“Look, I’ll never fully be okay with it. Hulk, the other guy, is a terrible burden and I’ll always worry about him hurting one of you.” He looked at Clint and winced. “It could have been so much worse.” He added and Clint nodded knowingly. 

“But it wasn’t.” Clint reminded kindly. “I’ll be back to normal in a few weeks. I’ve been told I heal fast.” The archer shrugged smugly. 

“Yes, this time.” Bruce agreed. “Someday things could turn out differently. However, if anything this experience has showed me he is more than a monster.” He offered. “I’ll never forget my interactions with him. He was like you said, a child - an angry confused child. For now I guess I’ll just have to hold onto that.” 

“You aren’t alone.” Tony promised. “We’re always here for you.” 

“If you want to talk.” Clint added. “Or whatever.” 

Bruce looked at them both and nodded. He knew that they were there for him even before this new and terrible episode. He also was aware that Tony now had better insight to his problem and would more than likely start to cut him some slack. Still, he was alone in his battle for his body and mind. 

Hulk might not be the bloodthirsty monster Bruce had always believed him to be, but he was still a burden – Bruce’s own personal demon. However it was nice to know that he had friends to support him, friends that didn’t run when things got rough. 

With a smile Bruce nodded back at them and relaxed as much as the host of the Hulk could. Bruce had his friends to watch his back and for that he would always be grateful. 

As long as he was an Avenger he would never have to face anything alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This was the original prompt from my friend kimbee over at FF: 
> 
>  
> 
> Bruce wakes up in a cage/general bad guy base with the rest of the avengers, and realizes that he doesn’t have the Hulk anymore. They notice Tony is missing, real time footage of him is being projected in front of them, and he's about to be tortured in some way. Then they notice his eyes flashing green. What now? (obviously, this is one for a multi chapter fic...)
> 
> (I always thought that Tony would be the worst person to get hulk powers if something happened and they were switched-mostly because he has very little impulse control...)


End file.
